scholarly journals Does Information Acquisition Influence the Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices? Evidence From Mpumalanga Province South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Samuel Oduniyi ◽  
Sibongile Sylvia Tekana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Bivariate Probit ◽  
Mpumalanga Province

Agricultural information plays a vital role in adopting agricultural technology. The study explored if information acquisition is related to the adoption of sustainable land management practices (SLMP) and jointly decided in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews, using a proportionate random sampling technique to get 250 smallholder farmers to participate in the survey. A seemingly unrelated bivariate probit (SUBP) model and a recursive bivariate probit (RBP) model were adopted to examine the objective. The statistical estimation of the SUBP showed that there is a relationship, an empirical association between information acquisition and SLMP; while RBP estimation showed that information acquisition was exogenous in the adoption model; thus, the decision to acquire information and adopt SLMP was not jointly decided. Therefore, the study presents the determinants of information acquisition alongside with the adoption of SLPM. The result from the SUBP model, indicated that the years spent in school; agricultural extension service; the number of extension visits and the years of farming, influenced both information acquisition and the adoption of SLMP. The cost attached positively influenced the adoption of SLMP; while gender, marital status and age only influenced the information acquisition.

scholarly journals Income Diversification and Sustainable Land Management Practices among Rural Cassava-based Farmers in Imo State

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
I. H. Eririogu ◽  
E. D. Mevayekuku ◽  
R. N. Echebiri ◽  
A. Atama ◽  
P. C. Amanze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Income Diversification ◽  
Imo State ◽  
Cassava Production ◽  
On Farm

Aims: To examine the income diversification activities and sustainable land management practices among rural cassava-based farmers in Imo State, Nigeria. Study Design: Primary data collection. Place and Duration of Study: Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Pre-requisite study, Post-Graduation in Agricultural Resource and Environmental Economics, between August 2017 and January 2018. Methodology: Data were collected using well-structured questionnaire, administered to rural cassava-based farmers. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were employed, and one hundred and twenty (120) farmers were randomly selected for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Sustainable Land Management Index, Probit model and Inverse Herfindahl–Hirschman Diversity Index. The sustainable land management index (SLMI) was constructed from twelve (12) different sustainable land management indicators based on the sustainable practices prevalent in the study area. Results: Results showed that cassava-based production was dominated by female farmers (63.33%) with mean age of 46, married (70.00%) with mean household size of 6 persons. The Inverse Herfindahl-Hirschman Diversity (IHHD) results showed that 87.50% of rural cassava-based farmers diversified their income base into other income-generating activities namely, off-farm and/or non-farm activities. The mean naira value for on-farm income was N 130,646.2k, while that of off-farm and non-farm were N 20,554.17k and N 78,333.33k, respectively. Cassava-based farmers diversified mostly into non-farm activities together with their on-farm activities, with a mean annual income (in naira) of N244,333.60k. The probit analysis showed that off-farm and non-farm activities have positive and significant effects on sustainable land management practices. The off-farm and non-farm activities encouraged the rural cassava-based farmers to adapt sustainable land management practices. However, doubling farmer’s engagement to off-farm activities (off-farm2) had a negative effect on sustainable land management, indicating that doubling their engagement to off-farm activities empowers farmers to adapt unsustainable labour-saving practices such over use of agrochemicals (herbicides, inorganic fertilizers and insecticides), due to drudgery and exhaustion as they allocate more of their labour services to another farmer’s farm. Conclusion: In order to improve the adoption and adaption of sustainable land management practices, and reduce the drudgery in cassava production as farmers diversify more into off-farm activities, sustainable labour-saving technologies and practices such as conservation tillage and simple tools that reduce labour requirement in cassava production, save time and energy, were recommended. More lands should be allocated to cassava farmers, as farm land diversity will facilitate the adoption and adaption of sustainable land management practices such as fallowing and crop rotation that increase productivity by replacing fallow periods with growing different crops that replenish soil nutrients.

scholarly journals Droughts and floods in Malawi: impacts on crop production and the performance of sustainable land management practices under weather extremes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy McCarthy ◽  
Talip Kilic ◽  
Josh Brubaker ◽  
Siobhan Murray ◽  
Alejandro de la Fuente
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Weather Extremes ◽  
Floods And Droughts ◽  
Production Losses

Abstract Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, increasing the vulnerability of smallholder farmers dependent on rain-fed agriculture. We evaluate the extent to which farmers in Malawi suffer crop production losses due to extreme weather, and whether sustainable land management (SLM) practices help shield crop production losses from extreme events. We use a three period panel dataset where widespread floods and droughts occurred in separate periods, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate impacts using data collected immediately following these events. Results show that crop production outcomes were severely hit by both floods and droughts, with average losses ranging between 32–48 per cent. Legume intercropping provided protection against both floods and droughts, while green belts provided protection against floods. However, we find limited evidence that SLM adoption decisions are driven by exposure to weather shocks; rather, farmers with more productive assets are more likely to adopt.

scholarly journals Impacts of Socio-Psychological Factors on Actual Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in Dryland and Water Stressed Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woldegebrial Zeweld ◽  
Guido Van Huylenbroeck ◽  
Girmay Tesfay ◽  
Hossein Azadi ◽  
Stijn Speelman
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Ordered Probit ◽  
Risk Attitudes ◽  
Relational Capital ◽  
Sustainable Land Management

Despite the presence of several studies on technology adoption, there are limited empirical studies on how socio-psychological factors affect the adoption of sustainable agriculture. Therefore, this paper investigates how socio-psychological factors-such as social capital, information, attitudes, efficacy, and aversion-affect smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt sustainable land management practices, such as agroforestry systems, organic compost, and crop rotation with legumes. Cross-sectional data are collected from 350 randomly selected farm households using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. A multivariate probit model is used to investigate factors that influence the probability of adopting these practices. The ordered probit model is also applied to identify and analyze the determinants of the number (intensity) of land management practices adopted. The findings indicate that nearly half of the farmers have adopted these land management practices to improve soil fertility, enhance water retention capacity, and increase productivity. It is also found that attitudes, information, education, group membership, relational capital, risk attitudes, and labor supply significantly affect the probability of adopting these agricultural practices. The estimates of the ordered probit model also indicate that extension services, risk attitudes, group membership, relational capital, education and labor supply are major determinants of the number of land management practices used. However, financial resources, biophysical factors and some demographic factors are found to have an insignificant effect on sustainable agriculture adoption. This implies that when it is necessary to promote sustainable land management practices and to stimulate smallholder farmers to adopt such practices in isolation or combination, specific strategies should be designed to improve awareness, build positive attitudes, reduce risk aversion, strengthen formal organizations, and empower endogenous groups (or informal institutions).

scholarly journals The Impact of Sustainable Land Management Practices on Household Welfare and Determinants among Smallholder Maize Farmers in South Africa

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Samuel Oduniyi ◽  
Sibongile Sylvia Tekana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Switching Regression ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of Sustainable Land Management Practices (SLMP) on the smallholder maize farmer’s welfare in the Gert Sibande District in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Farmers’ welfare is paramount to agricultural development and rural vitalisation, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the study is to identify the factors that influence the adoption of SLMP and to assess its impact on the net farm income. A multivariate-probit (MVP) model was used to analyse the determinants of SLMP adopted and an efficient endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) was used to estimate the impact of SLMP on the net farm income of the smallholder maize farmers. The MVP results show that household socio-economic characteristics and institutional factors statistically influenced the choice of SLMP. Subsequently, the pair-wise correlation matrix of the MVP model revealed complementarities among all SLMP implemented by the farmers. Similarly, the ESRM treatment effect indicated that the average net farm income of farmers who adopted SLMP were significantly higher than that of the group who did not. Consequently, the study recommended support policies on farmers’ demography, farm-based characteristics, and institutional factors to improve the welfare of the farmers and promote rural vitalisation.

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